Paige Birgfeld Arrest: 63-Year-Old Lester Ralph Jones Arrested, Accused Of Murdering Paige Birgfeld In 2007

The Paige Birgfeld case saw an arrest, and there may finally be some justice. According to People Magazine, police arrested Lester Ralph Jones, 63, on Friday morning, after nearly seven years of investigating. Jones is facing charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping, and second-degree arson, according to the report. He was actually the prime suspect all along, but police were unable to make an arrest until now.

“We named him a suspect in 2007 and we never wavered from that,” explained Mesa County Sheriff-elect Matt Lewis.

Birgfeld, 34, had three children, and worked several jobs to support her family. After her disappearance in 2007, police learned that one of those jobs was more of a secret life. She ran an escort service in Colorado, something that no one actually knew about.

The arrest in the Paige Birgfeld case comes two years after her body was discovered. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, her body was identified through dental records. While police are still unsure what happened to Birgfeld, it has been confirmed that Lester Ralph Jones was one of her clients.

According to the Denver Post, Matt Lewis believes that authorities have sufficient evidence to convict Jones, hence his arrest this week.

“We believe at this point we have crossed off the list all the things we needed to do to make an arrest. There’s not a significant event as much as this is an exhaustive process we’ve been going through,” Lewis added.

Birgfeld was described as a woman who could “do it all.” When her family and friends found out about her escort service, they were completely shocked.

“She was a survivor and was doing whatever she could to provide for her kids. She certainly wasn’t doing it to live the high life,” said friend Andrea Land.

Clearly Birgfeld felt as though she needed to do something more to provide for her family. Whether or not she wanted to live a life as an escort is unknown. Reports make it sound as if she sought desperate measures to get her through tough financial times.

Many hope that the arrest in the Paige Birgfeld case will lead to a conviction, and those closest to her will finally understand what happened. Jones has not released a statement, nor has he entered a plea since his arrest. He is being held without bail, and is awaiting his first court appearance.

[Photo courtesy of AP via People Magazine]